Decision makers

Save Mandela Community Garden

Nelson Mandela Garden is a vibrant, emerging community garden. For 30 years it sat empty attracting crime and debris. 3 years ago a group of dedicated members of the Harlem community petitioned the local community board for access. After collecting hundreds of signatures and letters of support from community leaders, it was unanimously endorsed by CB 10. Scores of volunteers from all over the city began a year long process of de-paving it by hand. Last summer it blossomed into a dedicated pollinator garden filled with thousands of native North American flowers. We serve the community by creating a focal point where New Yorkers young, old of all creeds and colors collaborate to create a better city for everybody. We pass on to the next generation the value of community engagement and service. We serve the environment by restoring the aquifer and curating a unique environment that supports bio-diversity. Now it has been targeted for development by the reigning administration. With no notice it has been promised to a developer to build “affordable” housing that consists of condominiums that will be economically inaccessible to the vast majority of citizens in the surrounding neighborhood. There are over 500 truly vacant lots in NYC and thousands of city owned abandoned buildings. With luxury housing rising everywhere in Harlem and open space vanishing we do not feel that destroying this garden reflects the values of our neighborhood. Please do not crush this nascent initiative.

This petition will be delivered to:

NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio

State SenatorBill Perkins

Letter to

NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio

State SenatorBill Perkins

Save Mandela Community Garden

Nelson Mandela is an emerging pollinator garden in Harlem. It supports bio-diversity by cultivating native North American wildflowers. It restores the aquifer and mitigates storm run off. It is a growing community center that sponsors civic engagement while passing the values of local participation on to the next generation.

We agree with the goals of this administration to create affordable housing in New York City. However there are literally hundreds if not thousands of other locations where this development can be put.

In these times it is important to support the engagement of the citizenry in addressing it's own problems. Please do not crush this community initiative.

Please transfer Nelson Mandela Community Garden from HPD to the parks department.